An abortion rights activist holds a box of mifepristone pills as demonstrators from both anti-abortion and abortion rights groups rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington, on March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades) ** FILE ** An abortion rights activist holds a … more >

Abortions are rising. A Trump judge just put the pill driving that trend on notice.

by · The Washington Times

TLDR:

  • The abortion pill can still be mailed — for now — after a federal judge declined to block existing rules
  • A Trump-appointed judge gave the FDA six months to conduct a fresh review of mifepristone mailing rules
  • The judge criticized the Biden administration for acting on a “dearth of information” when it loosened safety restrictions in 2023
  • Abortions rose to 1.14 million in 2024, reversing a long decline, with mail-order mifepristone widely credited for the increase

The abortion pill can still be mailed — for now. A federal judge declined Tuesday to block mifepristone mail rules, but ordered the FDA to complete a sweeping review within six months, leaving the pill’s future access in doubt.

Judge David Joseph, a Trump appointee, sharply criticized the Biden administration’s 2023 decision to lift in-person dispensing requirements, saying the FDA acted on a “dearth of information” when it loosened safety restrictions for the drug.

Mr. Joseph put the case on hold while the FDA — now under Trump administration control — conducts its review. The Trump administration has cited concerns about “adverse events” reported by women who used mifepristone.

The ruling comes as abortion numbers climb. KFF reported 1.06 million abortions in 2023 and 1.14 million in 2024, reversing a years-long downward trend. Mailing the pill has been widely credited for the rise.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill had challenged the 2023 rule change. Ms. Murrill’s effort to block the mailing rules outright failed Tuesday, but the judge declined to dismiss the case entirely.

The ACLU’s Julia Kaye warned that restricting access “would fly in the face of science and break President Trump’s campaign promises not to impose new federal restrictions on abortion.”

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Read more:

• Judge scolds FDA over abortion pill mailing, gives agency chance to rewrite rules

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